(2 – 3 weeks) – These are three-page curricular units that are designed as great starter projects for teachers and students that may be new to digital storytelling. The Projects ask students to innovate on a fun, sometimes traditional assignment with a digital layer – i.e., adding voice over, music, an interview format or some short moving visuals.

The Projects are unique in that the digital layer exponentially increases the learning. Writing a paper or creating a poster – mixing words and text – are valuable approaches to learning. But…

when you have to create a voice for and dress a character – a literary hero or historical figure – then you need to seek new levels of understanding and interpretation;
when you have to present information for not only your teacher but also for your peers, your accountability skyrockets; and
when you have to search the Internet for new tools to compile, edit, add sound effects, animate, etc., your digital literacy capacities multiply.

The most valuable part of the Projects is the iterative process that the students go through. When you write a paper, the ‘rewrite’ is usually beyond painful, if it takes place at all. However, when you are making a short movie or audio piece, you do multiple takes; you edit the story this way and then that; you try this music and that music to make the most impact. In short, you rarely do the work just once. The iterative process is inherent in the Meridian Projects and the catch is: students want to do it again…in order to get it just right.

Each Meridian Project:

Introduces the creative curricular prompt;
Identifies the targeted digital skill sets;
Lays out a step-by-step process for classroom execution;
Lays out a step-by-step process for the digital incentive – the digital added-value; and
Concludes on the educational value.